Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips



N. J. RANNEY April 29, 1952 APPARATUS FOR THE MULTIPLE COILING OF SLIT METAL STRIPS Filed June 22, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR NEIL J. RANNEY K /win 07 N. J. RANNEY A ril 29, 1952 APPARATUS FOR THE MULTIPLE COILING OF SLIT METAL STRIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22 1951 INVENTOR NEIL J. RANNEY 7 ;%/-/%4 A ril 29, 1952 N. J. RANNEY 2,594,800

APPARATUS FOR THE MULTIPLE COILING OF SLIT METAL STRIPS Filed June 22, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR NEIL J. RANNEY MAI f4 5 211%) A ril 29, 1952 APPARATUSFOR Filed June 22 1951 N. J. RANNEY 2,594,800

THE MULTIPLE COILING OF SLIT METAL STRIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F F P: 21 J? 65 a3 v 76 f7 F6 I 68 5 5 \JI 76' O 5 5 g 39 '2' Q4 L8F z I ll L 3 INVE NTOR NEIL J. RANNEY 80 a1 v Patented Apr. 29, 1952 APPARATUS FOR THE MULTIPLE COILING OF SLIT METAL STRIPS Neil J. Ranney, Mentor Township, Lake County, Ohio, assignor to Wean Equipment Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 22, 1951, Serial No. 233,027

8 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips. The apparatus comprises a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled side-by-side simultaneously and means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon together with a device controlling the coils as they are being formed. The controlling device maintains the coils separated and may otherwise control them.

An operation commonly performed in metal strip mills is to pass a wide strip through a rotary slitter, thereby continuously slitting the Wide strip into a plurality of narrow strips. The wide strip may pass to the slitter from a coil. The

narrow strips may be coiled on separate mandrels but ordinarily it is desirable to coil them side-by-side simultaneously on the same mandrel. When the narrow strips are coiled side-byside simultaneously on the same mandrel it is between the strips as they are being coiled to separate the coils. The separating means are preferably positioned to engage the surface of the mandrel between the strips at the beginning of the coiling operation and to remain partially between the coils as they are being formed throughout the coiling operation.

The coil controlling device preferably includes in addition to the separating mean above referred to means engaging the peripheries of the coils to keep the coils tight. Desirably means are provided for pressing the last mentioned means against the coils during formation thereof. I preferably provide adjustable control means automatically controlling the pressure of the device against the peripheries of the coils. Desirably the device is mounted so that as the diameters of the coils increas during formation thereof the means which engage the peripheries of the coils and which are pressed against the coils are gradually forced outwardly. At the same time the separating means are continuously disposed between the peripheral edges of the coils as they are being formed to separate the coils andproperly guide the strips thereto so that each c o i l is properly formed and maintained tight-r The separating means and the means engaging the peripheries of the coils are desirably mounted so as to be rotatable through frictional engagement with the coils. I prefer to mount a shaft with its axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel and to dispose the separating means and the means engaging the peripheries of the coils on the shaft. The shaft itself may be mounted so as to be rotatable if desired, in

which case the separating mean and the means engaging the peripheries of the coils may be keyed to the shaft, although I find it preferable to non-rotatably mount the shaft and make the separating means and the means engaging the peripheries of the coils rotatable on the shaft and relatively thereto.

The separating means are preferably in the form of discs and the means engaging the peripheries of the coils are preferably spacers which serve both to space the discs apart the proper distance and also to press against the peripheries of the coils to maintain the coils tight as they are being formed. The spacers are preferably rotatable collars or rollers on the shaft. The discs and spacers may have bushings engaging the shaft to rotatably mount the discs and spacers on the shaft.

In a preferred form of structure I provide a carrier in which is mounted the shaft upon which the discs and spacers are mounted, the carrier being movable to move the shaft toward and away from the coils being formed on the mandrel. The carrier may move either rectilinearly or angularly. I preferably employ a swingable carrier mounted for swinging movement about an axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel. I provide means acting on the carrier tending to turn it about the first mentioned axis to press the shaft toward the coils. Such means may, for example, comprise fluid pressure operated means such as a piston and cylinder.

I provide means maintaining the coil controlling device in inoperative position remote from the mandrel when the formed coils are to be stripped off of the mandrel.

The coil controlling device may be mounted either integrally with the reel or separately therefrom, examples of. both forms of structure being shown in the drawings.

Other details, objects and advantages of the inventionwill become apparent as the following description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown certain present preferredembodiments of the inreatpapw ica Figure 1 is an elevational view partly diagrammatic and partly in vertical cross section of apparatus for the multiple coiling of strips;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 as viewed from the lefthand side of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the separating discs;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line IV--IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an elevational View, with a portion cut away, of a modified form of apparatus for the multiple coiling of strips;

Figure 6 is a top plan view, with aportion cut away, of the apparatus shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an end elevational view to enlarged scale of the apparatus shown in Figure 5 as viewed from the left-hand end of that figure; and

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the fluid pressure system for operating the coil controlling device shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

Referring now more particularly to the form of structure shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is indicated purely diagrammatically at 2 a strip coiler for coiling up strip and which is adapted for coiling either a single strip or a plurality of strips simultaneously in side-by-side relationship. The coiler per se may be conventional and since no novelty is claimed in it it is shown only diagrammatically. It comprises a mandrel or reel or block 3 which in the form shown is of the cantilever type, being mounted only at its left-hand end viewing Figure 2 so that its opposite end is always free for the stripping off of coils. The mandrel 3 may be of the expanding and contracting type so that after coils have been formed thereon it may be contracted tofacilitate stripping off of the coils. The mandrel is rotated by any suitable driving mechanism as well known in the art. The strips moving to the mandrel approach generally horizontally from the right viewing Figure 1 as indicated at 3. They may be coiled up on the mandrel to form coils of any feasible diameter, as, for example, coils whose circumference is indicated at 5.

The coil controlling device is designated generally by reference numeral 6. In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 that device is mounted separately from the coiler 2. It comprises a base 1 upon which is mounted a structural support including uprights 8. carry at their upper portions bearings 9, plates Iii carried by the uprights 8 underlying the bearings 9 to form a strong reinforced structure. Rotatably mounted in the bearings 9 is a shaft H. Keyed to the shaft H is an arm l2.to the outer extremity of which is pivoted at l3 a piston rod l4 connected with a piston in a cylinder l5 pivoted at 16 to a bracket ll forming part of the supporting structure. Fluid connections IS and [9 for fluid under pressure extend to the respective ends of the cylinder Hi. When fluid is admitted below the piston in the cylinder I5 the piston moves upwardly and turns the shaft I I in the clockwise direction viewing Figure 1. When fluid is admitted above the piston in the cylinder [5 the piston moves downwardly and turns the shaft H in the counterclockwise direction viewing Figure 1.

Keyed to the shaft H are like arms 29 which project from the shaft generally horizontally to positions in which their ends are disposed generally above the mandrel 3. Each of the arms 23!. has at its outer extremity a yoke bearing 2t adapted to be closed by a plate 22 pivoted at 23 and maintained in closed position by a nut 24 The respective uprights 8 screwed onto a bolt 25. Mounted in the yoke bearings 2| is a shaft 26. The shaft 26 may, if desired, be made rotatable in the bearings 2| but in my preferred structure it is immaterial whether or not the shaft is made rotatable in the bearings and for present purposes itmay be considered as being non-rotatively mounted therein.

Mounted on the shaft is a series of alternately arranged coil separating discs 21 and spacers 28. The discs and spacers may be of variousconstructions. The discs 21 are adapted to be disposed between the coils being formed on the mandrel 3. and. to guide the strips properly into the coilswhereby to separate the coils from one another and insure proper formation thereof on the mandrel. The spacers 28 space apart the discs 21 and are also adapted to engage peripherally the coils being formed. I prefer to have the discs and spacers mounted so that they are rotatable through frictional engagement with the coils. This'may be accomplished by making the shaft 26. rotatable, or; whether it is rotatable or not, making the discs and spacers rotatable on the shaft; The discs and spacers are maintained in proper position on the shaft by stop collars 29.

The discs and spacers may have bushings engaging the shaft 26, especially if they areto be mounted for rotation relatively to the shaft. One form of disc which may be employed is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The discproper is designated 33 and comprises a hollow steel disc somewhat tapered to minimum thickness at its peripheral edge. Riveted to opposite sides of the disc 30' by rivets 32 are bushing hubs 3|. The periphery of the bore in the disc 3|] is indicated at 33 while the periphery of the bore in each of the bushing hubs 31 is indicated at 34. The

bores of the bushing hubs 35 are such that they have a rotating fit on the shaft 26. Similarly the spacers 28 may be in the form of sleeves having liner bushings having a rotating fit on the shaft 26. Consequently, the respective separating discs and spacers are freely rotatable and in practice turn through frictional engagement with the strips as the strips are being coiled up on the mandrel 3.

Connected with the bearing 9 is an upwardly and outwardly extending arm 35 to which is pivoted at 33 a suspended hodk 3'5. Integral with the hook 3'! is a rod 38. The arm 20 adjacent the arm 35 has a pin 39 projecting laterally therefrom into the vertical plane of thehook 31. When the shaft H is turned far enough in the counterclockwise direction viewing Figure 1 the pin 39 strikes the lower inclined face of the hook 31, turning the hook some what in the clockwise direction about its'pivot' 38' viewing Figure 1 until the pin 39 rises to the level of the throat of the hook, at which time the mass of the rod 38 causes the hook to turn back in the counterclockwise direction until the pin 39 is seated in the throat of the hook. Thus the hook will maintain the control device inf-- cluding the arms 20, the shaft 25 and the separating discs and spacers thereon in inoperative position remote from the mandrel 3 to permit stripping of coils off of the mandrel. When it is desired to release the control device the rod 38 is pushed manually upwardly whereby to turn the hook 37 in the clockwise direction and release the pin 39 from the throat of the hook.

When coils are to be'wound upon the mandrel 3} simultaneously in side-by-side relationship the shaft 26 is lowered until thee peripheries'of' the discs 27 rest: upon the bare mandrel. The strips: are then started around the mandrel, being guided into their proper respective positions on the mandrel by the discs 21. In the starting the coils begin to increase in diameter they are engaged at their peripheries by the spacers 2-8 which, being free to rotate, turn through frictional engagement with the incipient coils. Also, the discs 21, being free to rotate, turn through frictional engagement with the strips as they pass to the coils and with the edges of the coils themselves. As the coils increase in diameter they raise the shaft 26, the discs 2'! and spacers 28 continuing to engage the coils and perform their functions.

During formation of the coils some pressure is maintained against the bottom of the piston in the cylinder l5 to press the spacers 28 down against the peripheries of the coils. This not only assists in insuring proper guiding of the strips into the coils but maintains the coils tight.

When the coils have been completed they are banded and the piston is moved downwardly in the cylinder l5 until the arms 20 are raised so that they are latched in inoperative position by the hook 31. The coils are then stripped from the mandrel after which the hook 31 may be released as above explained whereupon the apparatus is ready for immediate initiation of another cycle. There are no separating discs mounted on the mandrel which have to be removed from the mandrel with the coils, separated from the coils and then put back in their proper places on the mandrel.

Referring now more particularly to the form of apparatus shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, there is shown a base 4! on which is mounted a reel designated generally by reference numeral 42 and which may per se be conventional. The reel includes an overhung shaft designated generally by reference numeral 43 on the projecting portion of which is mounted a mandrel or block 44. An electric motor 45 drives the shaft 43 through reduction gearing 46 and 41 and a coupling 48. A brake 49 operates on the motor shaft in conventional manner. The structure of Figures 5, 6 and 7 thus far described may be conventional and hence I have not gone into detail With respect thereto.

Mounted in bearings 50 in the supporting structure are two horizontal rods 51 carrying at one end a stripper plate 52 and at the other end a crosshead 53. The crosshead 53 is connected through a rod 54 with a piston in a cylinder 55. The piston in the cylinder 55 is operated by fluid pressure. When fluid under pressure is admitted to the left of the piston in the cylinder 55 viewing Figure 4 the rods 5! and the stripper plate 52 move toward the right to push coils off of the mandrel 44. When fluid is admitted to the right of the piston in the cylinder 55 viewing Figure 4 the stripper plate 52 is returned to its inoperative position as shown in Figure 4.

Mounted in a tubular bearing 55a in the supporting structure is a shaft 56 whose axis is parallel to the axis of the shaft 43. Fixed to the shaft 56 are arms 51 which carry at their outer extremities a, shaft 58. The shaft 58 carries alternate separating discs 2'! and spacers 28. The shaft'58 may be mounted in the arms 5'! in the same way as the shaft 26 of Figures 1 and 2, is mounted in the arms 20 and the discs 21 and spacers 28' may be of the same general structural characteristics as the discs 21 and spacers 28 of Figures 1 and 2 and similarly mounted, although the spacers 28' are shown as being of somewhat greater length than the spacers 28.

Fastened to the shaft 56 is an arm 6| to which is pivoted at 62 a rod 63 carried by a piston in a cylinder 64 trunnioned to the supporting structure at B5. The piston in the cylinder 64 is effective for moving the arms 51 between the fullline and chain-line positions of Figure 7 in the same manner as the piston in the cylinder I5 operates the arms 20 in Figures 1 and 2. Similarly the supporting structure in Figure 7 carries an arm 66 to which is pivoted at 6'! a hook 68 having connected therewith a rod 69, this structure being exactly analogous to the corresponding structure of Figures 1 and 2. A pin 10 is carried by one of the arms 51 to cooperate with the hook 68 in exactly the same manner as above described with respect to the pin 39 and its cooperation with the hook 37. The stripper plate 52 is, as shown in Figure '7, disposed in the same direction from the mandrel as the shaft 58. The stripper plate has a recess 52a in which the shaft is positioned along a portion of the length-thereof. This clearly appears in Figures 5, 6 and '7. The purpose of providing the stripper plate with the recess 52a is to shorten the overhang of the,

mandrel or block 44 needed for a given effective length thereof. As will be clear from Figure 5, if the stripper plate 52 were to be positioned to the right of the right-hand end of the shaft 58 viewing that figure it would be necessary to move the mandrel 44 and the shaft 58 and the supporting means for the shaft to the left a distance of several inches, thus increasing the overhang of the mandrel. By positioning the shaft along a portion of the length thereof in the recess 52a of the stripper plate the entire apparatus may be foreshortened and consequently certain of the parts may be made of lighter construction than would otherwise be necessary.

The structure above described permits the stripper plate 52 when in inoperative position to have its general plane intersecting the shaft 58 hich would not be possible if the recess 52a were in the stripper plate. Actually in and I not only is the shaft positioned in the recess 52a along a portion of the length of the shaft but .also a portion of one of the arms 51 is disposed in the recess when the stripper plate is in its innermost position and the shaft 58 is in its lowermost position as shown in full lines in Figure 7.

The structure of Figures 5, 6 and '7 is shown simply to make clear that the coil control device may be mounted unitarily with the reel as well as separately therefrom. The exact form of structure may vary widely while accomplishing the same result.

' An electric motor 1| drives a fluid pump 12 connected through a pipe 13 with a fluid reservoir 14. Valves 15 and 16 operated by operating members 15 and 76, respectively, determine the direction of outflow of fluid under pressure from the pump 72. The valve 15 controls the flow of fluid under pressure to the stripper. that fluid moving the stripper in one direction or the other depending upon the position of the valve.

The hydraulic system for the cylinder 54 is ;shown inFigure 8. The valve 15 and its operat% .ing member 16 have three positions, an "In" position, a Neutral position and an Out position as indicated by the legends in Figure 8. When the valve is in the In position fluid under pressure passes from the pump 12 through a pipe 11, through the valve, whose casing is designated 18 in Figure 8, and through a pipe T9 to the upper end of the cylinder 64 while fluid passes out of the lower end of the cylinder 54 through a pipe 80, a pressure relief valve SI and a pipe 82 and through the valve and through a pipe 83 back through the valve and through the pipe 83 back to the tank '14. This causes upward movement of the piston in the cylinder 84 and downward movement of the shaft 58.

When the apparatus is in operation with a series of strips being coiled up on the mandrel or block 44 and the shaft 58 carrying alternate separating discs and spacers as above described has been lowered into position with the separating discs engaging the mandrel or block M the valve is shifted to its Neutral position at which I time both of the pipes 79 and 82 are closed at the valve. As the diameters of the coils being formed on the mandrel or block 44 increase the shaft 58 is gradually forced upwardly which in turn forces the piston downwardly in the cylin- I:

der 64. The downward movement of the piston in the cylinder 54. forces fluid out of the pipe 80 to the pressure relief valve 8 I From the pressure relief valve 8|, which may be adjustably set to determine the resistance which the shaft 58 offers to upward movement, the fluid passes through a pipe 84 whence part of it pases through a pipe 85 and through a check valve 86 and a pipe 8'! to the pipe 19 while the remainder of the fluid passes through a pipe 88 back to. the pump 72. Three flow control valves 89, 90 and 9i are provided as shown in Figure 8.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a shaft mount.- ed with its axis generally parallel to, the axis of, the mandrel, substantially circular coil confin ing and separating discs on, the shaft positioned to be disposed against the sides of thecoils as. they are being formed to confine and separate the coils and means on the shaft engaging the discs at opposite sides thereof to predeterminedly position the discs axially of the shaft, the discs. being mounted for continuous rotation through frictional engagement with the coils.

2. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit.

metal strips comprising a mandrel on, which a.

plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating, the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a device con.- tro ing the coils as they are being formed, the

device comprising a shaft mounted with its axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel with substantially circular coil confining and separating discs and spacers therebetween mounted on the shaft, and means for pressing the device toward the coils being formed so that the spacers engage the peripheries of the coils to keep the coils tight, the separating discs and spacers being mounted for continuous rotation through frictional engagement with the coils.

3. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a device controlling the coils as they are being formed, the device comprising a shaft mounted with its axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel with substantially circular coil confining and separating discs and spacers on the shaft engaging the discs at opposite sides thereof to predeterminedly position the discs axially of the shaft mounted for continuous rotation on the shaft in the same direction as the direction of linear movement of the strips and means for pressing the device toward the coils being formed so that the spacers engage the peripheries of the coils to keep the coils tight.

4. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a device controlling the coils as they are being formed, the device comprising a swingable carrier mounted for swinging movement about an axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel and having mounted therein a shaft also having its axis generally parallel to the axis of the mandrel with coil confining and separating discs and coil periphery engaging spacers therebetween mounted on the shaft, the carrier being swingable about the first mentioned axis whereby it is movable between operative position in engagement with the strips being coiled and inoperative position out of engagement with but adjacent the strips being coiled, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted adjacent the carrier, 2. piston within the cylinder and a connection between the piston and the carrier so that by fluid under pressure within the cylinder the carrier may be moved between operative and inoperative positions and the pressure of the device against the strips may be controlled.

5. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips moving to the mandrel generally in a plane are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a shaft whose axis is parallel to the axis of the mandrel, spaced apart supports for the shaft and separating means mounted on the shaft between the supports disposed between the strips as they are being coiled to separate the coils, the separating means being positioned to intersect said plane without causing the strips to deviate therefrom so as to lie between the edges of the strips as they pass to the coils and before the strips are coiled to guide the strips into the coils.

6. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotatingthe mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a'shaft whose axis is parallel to the axis of the mandrel, spaced apart supports for the shaft, generally circular rotatable separating means mounted on the shaft between the supports disposed between the strips as they are being coiled to separate the coils and means on the shaft engaging the separating means at opposite sides thereof to predeterminedly position the separating means axially of the shaft, the generally circular separating means being positioned to intersect the plane along which the strips pass to the coils so as to lie between the edges of the strips as they pass to the coils and before the strips are coiled to guide the strips into the coils and being mounted for rotation through contact with the strips.

7. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a shaft whose axis is parallel to the axis of the mandrel, spaced apart supports for the shaft and separating discs mounted on the shaft between the supports disposed between the strips as they are being coiled to separate the coils, the thickness of the separating discs increasing inwardly from their peripheries, the discs having hubs secured thereto, the hubs being rotatable.

8. Apparatus for the multiple coiling of slit metal strips comprising a mandrel on which a plurality of strips are adapted to be coiled sideby-side simultaneously, means for rotating the mandrel to coil the strips thereon, a shaft whose formed thereon, the stripping means having a recess in which the shaft is positioned along a portion of the length thereof.

NEIL J. RANNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 610,329 Meisel Sept. 6, 1898 1,371,769 Sundh Mar. 5, 1921 1,825,657 Dukes Oct. 6, 1931 1,956,906 Mikaelson May 1, 1934 1,984,776 Talbot et al Dec. 18, 1934 2,185,360 Talbot Jan. 2, 1940 2,207,832 Spellacy July 16, 1940 2,470,235 Burrell May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,296 Great Britain May 7, 1914 74,348 Germany Apr. 6, 1894 305,605 Germany July 5, 1919 540,836 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1941 

